ANC2C02 Forum

The Washington Business Journal had an article today on the TIF Roadside Development is seeking from the District for the CityMarket at O Street development.

"Without a government subsidy, this project will not happen," said Richard Lake, a partner with Roadside, a D.C.-based real estate group.

”Lake declined to disclose how much funding Roadside requested under the city's tax increment financing program, although the company told the Washington Business Journal a year ago it planned to ask for at least $40 million. A decision on the financing is about a month away. Under the TIF program, the city sells bonds to fund improvements; new taxes generated by the improved project are used to repay the bonds.”
— O Street Market development hangs on TIF financing, The Washington Business Journal, May 16, 2008

Councilmember Jack Evans and I spoke today about his efforts to get the appropriate financing for this project and he assures me that he is doing everything in his power to deliver this project to the community as quickly as possible. I am told there there was tremendous response from my post earlier this week on CityMarket at O. Around 150 residents and business owners signed the petition over the course of just two days and many others voiced their concerns directly to Mr Albert's Office.

I will close the petition at this point, since Mr Evans has indicated that he is working to satisfy the concerns of the community and has acknowledged the City's goal to see to it that the project gets the proper funding as quickly as possible.

Historical Society of Washington DC (HSW)
at the Carnegie Library, 801 K Street NW

10:15am-1pm, Saturday, May 17
FAMILY SERIES: Walking Tour – Chinatown & 7th Street

Tour guide Jeanne Fogle for an exotic guided tour around the District’s Chinatown and the evolving 7th Street corridor. Meeting place is the front door of HSW at 801 K Street, wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water. No recording devices permitted.
RSVP to: RSVP ]at[ historydc.org (SUBJECT: Chinatown tour) or call (202) 383-1828.

10:15am-11:30am, Saturday, May 17
FAMILY SERIES: Urban Gardening: Creating and Maintaining a Beautiful Sustainable Garden

Join master gardener Susan Harris and learn how to work WITH nature, not against it, to have a beautiful garden. Learn which plants are the best to grow in Washington soil and climate, and gather earth friendly tips on garden care.
RSVP to: RSVP ]at[ historydc.org (SUBJECT: Gardening) or call (202) 383-1828.

2-5pm, Saturday, May 17
Shaw Middle School, 925 Rhode Island Ave NW

Lynette R.F. Smith, 60, won last year's competition. See more great pics by Tom Williams here.

This was a great event last year and the it just keeps getting better. Take some time out this weekend to spend with some of our most talented and lovely senior ladies and join residents in applauding their accomplishments.

Today marks the 2008 DC kickoff of the Neighborhood Pace Car program, a traffic-calming initiative initiated by DC Department of Transportation [DDOT] with Federal funding from the Safe Routes To School program.

The Pace Car program, where drivers pledge to observe the speed limit on neighborhood streets, serves as one aspect of a multi-pronged effort to reduce the element of risk faced by our youngest pedestrians and cyclists. This year the program will be delivered through Ward 6’s elementary schools, after Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells is expected to kick it off at Bike to Work Day by announcing a competition with exciting prizes for the most parental participation.

If you missed lat night's LCCA Campaign forum to meet the candidates, there will be a lot of other opportunities to speak with those who are running to bring the best leadership to our community and the District as a whole.

This weekend, Councilmember Jack Evans will hold his Ward 2 campaign kick off in the heart of Shaw at the Kennedy Recreation Center Playground.

12 noon - 3pm, Saturday May 17
Kennedy Playground
7th & P Streets NW
RSVP (202) 577-9643
Keithcarbone ]at[ evans2008.org

At the end of the month, Jessica Lanza, from downtown will be holding her campaign kickoff for the ANC2C03 seat currently held by Doris Brooks. Jessica worked hard a few weeks ago when she joined Shaw residents for Keep Shaw Beautiful Day. She's also attended several ANC2C meetings to get up to speed on the issues the Commission faces.

5-8pm, Friday, May 30
The Caucus Room in Penn Quarter
401 9th Street NW, Market Square North (across from FBI Headquarters)

Ward 2 Council candidate Cary Silverman launched his campaign months ago, but is planning several other events to talk about the issues with neighbors including events on May 31 and July 16.

5-8pm, Saturday, May 31: Cary for Council Cookout
1108 5th St NW, RSVP to niello8 ]at[ yahoo.com

6-9pm, Wednesday, July 16: Meet and Greet
Penn Quarter Sports Tavern, 639 Indiana Avenue NW

The LCCA will be holding their annual Summer potluck picnic and have invited many local elected officials and candidates to attend. This is child friendly and pet friendly event, so bring the whole family and have some burgers (meat or veggie), hot dogs, and a dish to share.

4-7pm, Sunday, June 8
Pepco Park, 12th & O Streets NW
For more information, contact:
DesiDeschaine ]at[ logancircle.org

At Large Councilmember Kwame R Brown, Ward 2 Council Candidate Cary Silverman and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans (also in attendance was At Large Independent candidate Adam Clampit, not pictured).

At tonight's LCCA meeting, I'm told that the 2008 City Council candidates all addressed the serious issues that our facing our city and Ward 2. The issues ranged from schools and health care, to parks and crime. Clampitt hopes to make the DC Council "republican free" by defeating the incumbent Carol Schwartz and, like Silverman, he hopes to serve as a full time council member. Evans and Clampitt have revamped their original websites with more information about their campaigns, though Mr Evans campaign seems to have removed his web site's blog component.

There were also announcements about a lot of great local community arts events occurring over the next few weeks, including free tours of local museums from the Mary McLoud Bethune House to the Phillips Collection which has current exhibits of works from Jacob Lawrence to Degas and Diebenkorn. I will mention more in future posts.

7-9 pm, Hotel Helix
(1430 Block of Rhode Island Avenue)

Tonight, the Logan Circle Community Association will hold a candidates forum for Ward 2 and At-Large Council positions. See latest LCCA newsletter (p. 3) for more information.

Sign the support letter for CityMarket at O.
Petition Closed, Friday, May 16. Copies of the online results were hand delivered to the offices of Neil Albert and Councilmember Jack Evans at 9am, May 16.

After a successful Zoning hearing last night and a few minor adjustments after a recent HPRB hearing, Roadside Development now needs the community to voice their support to Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Neil Albert to approve the full tax increment financing request for CityMarket at O.

Roadside has met every requirement that the District has given them, which early on reduced the heights and number of residential units at the site. They have reduced the amount of parking at the site from 750 to just over 500 spaces. At a zoning hearing in March, Roadside received overwhelming community support for the project to move it forward as quickly as possible. Since then the project has received Local, Small, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (LSDBE) certification and Roadside has agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) about how they will manage the development.

We should all be aware of the benefits that reinvigorating a robust and lively economic corridor in Shaw around the current blighted market site. I completely agree with Roadside Development's Armond Spikell when he stated at a March hearing that

[CityMarket at O] will create a synergy between the downtown business core, the Convention Center and its residential neighbors. And we believe it's a project that's central to revitalization of the Shaw community.”
— Armond Spikell, March 6, 2008 Zoning Commision hearing

We will have the update images of the current project plans posted in the next day or so.

Sign this petition and or send a letter directly to:. Petition Closed, Friday, May 16. Copies of the online results were hand delivered to the offices of Neil Albert and Councilmember Jack Evans at 9am, May 16.

Neil Albert
Deputy Mayor for Economic Development
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 317
Washington, DC 20004
Fax: (202) 727-6703 | Neil.Albert ]at[ dc.gov

11am-5pm, June 21, 2008 | Download flier
At the Park on New Jersey Avenue and O Street NW

The organizers of the New Covenant Evangelistic Center (NCEC) wanted me to announce their Annual Community Day scheduled for June 21, 2008. This is always a fun event for young and old alike. The event also provides outreach services, health and safety information and clothing for residents in need. Last year there was horse back riding, music and a lot of great food and it's all free to the general public. As your summer schedules start to fill up, be sure to mark this on your calendar.

UPDATE from DHCD today, May 15:

1504 6th Street is one of the properties included in the Home Again 11th RFP. Award of development rights to the property should occur this month, with construction projected for early 2009. Given the current situation, that construction projection will be revisited to hasten commencement.

In the meantime, I have asked our property maintenance contractor to make recommendations on remedial action that can be taken now.

Rotting meat created quite a stink on the 1500 block of 6th St for several days Photo taken May 10, 2008.

Back in the summer last year, I included some images of a vacant property on 6th Street NW with a collapsed roof in my quarterly newsletter. That problem has yet to be addressed by this now apparently District-owned property even though it has been documented reported to by neighbors to the Mayor's City wide call center and the Mayor's office directly. For the last couple of weeks, this same property at 1504 6th St NW was again the site for illegal dumping. Apparently some one left a large garbage bin filled with rotting poultry that for more than a week had created a foul odor that could be detected from quite a distance. DPW was expected to remove the garbage and smell from the site several weeks after being notified. But a flurry of direct calls and emails and photos sent to the Mayor's Ward 2 Services Coordinators got the problem solved in only two days. There may be a lesson there somewhere.

May 13, 2008. The Mayor's Ward 2 Service Coordinators are Mark Bjorge and Abby Petersen.

But how long will it take the District to own up to actually fixing the dilapidated property which is making neighboring property owners increasingly concerned that 1504 6th continued deterioration might be destroying the integrity of their own homes? Without a roof recent and continued rain will certainly cause continued damage.

Caved roof at 1504 6th St NW. May 10, 2008.

May 10, 2008.

The condition of the roof in the summer 2007.

1504 6th Street's structural problem have posed a threat to its immediate neighbors for years. The latest illegal dumping problem will likely occur again as it has for years. The District owned property falls directly into the appropriate description for being insanitary and a nuisance. If the property were privately owned, the city would supposedly fix the problem and charge the owner for the expenses. But how long does it take to fix a property once the District has take ownership?

“[Insanitary:]... unhealthy conditions, especially the lack of freedom from infective, deleterious influences, including non-water-tight roofs, walls, floors, doors, windows; improper grading, drainage; open plumbing/sewer lines; defective electrical systems; fire danger; presence of or conditions which encourage breeding of rats, rodents, or disease-carrying insects; and general, filthy conditions.”

Ever go to the trouble of charting out your city travel plans on your computer only to realize that once you're out on the road that you have been lead ever so slightly astray or had taken the long route to your destination?

Ever need to know about parking options (for bikes or automobiles) once you get close to your destination? Need the latest Circlulator bus routes? How about a handy map that shows the intersection of Metrorail routes and station entrances and exits with street maps? Want to get to a fun special event going on this week without losing your temper just trying to there?

We'll at this evening's DNA meeting, DDOT transportation specialist Chris Ziemann got straight to the point when he said the magic url — and there wasn't an idle pen or pencil in the room.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, meet DC's very own customized detailed mapping portal and more, updated regularly throughout the day: goDCgo.com (powered by MapNetwork.com).

10 am, Saturday, May 17
Mandatory recruitment and pre-screening session

9am-2pm, Saturday, May 31
Classes for front desk and housekeeping services

Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place NW
1-888-643-9994

The University of the District of Columbia and the Hotel Association of Washington DC are conducting their second in a series of free training programs for local residents. This program is meant to prepare District residents for a variety of exciting careers in the hospitality industry.

UPDATE May 15, hoorable Bike to Work Day guests:

Although the official launch of DC Smart Bike Program is not expected to happen in time for Bike to Work Day, the program could start before the end of the month. According to DDOT, 7 of the 10 initial bike stations have been installed, but several still lack power.

Bike to Work Day is this Friday, May [16], from 8-9am down at Freedom Plaza.

Expected guests:
Mayor Adrian Fenty
Councilmember Jim Graham (Ward 1)

Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3)

Councilmember Tommy Wells (Ward 6)

Councilmember Muriel Bowser (Ward 4)

Councilmember Kwame Brown (At-Large)

UPDATE: May 15: Dragon Boat Festival has been postponed due to recent rain and exceptionally high water levels on the Potomac. Tentative new date: June 14-15, 2008

The water from the torrential rains that hit our area last weekend is finding its way down to the Potomac, and the water levels are very high, and the current is very fast. Rowing crews are not currently launching from the docks at TBC, and have instead packed up their boats and are rowing out of Anacostia.

To give a sense of scale, we normally get 10,000 cubic feet per second coming over Little Falls at this time of year. (median reading for the past 80 years). In only 20% of the years on record have we ever gotten over 20,000 cubic feet per second. As of right now, we are getting 95,000 cubic feet per second coming over Little Falls -- nine times the normal amount of water!
— DCDragonBoat.com

Yesterday afternoon was the last practice for the Mayor's team that will race in next week's DC Dragon Boat Festival. ANC-2C02 residents James Carter and Martin Moulton, and I all plan to row for the Mayor's team. The practices have taken place over the past few weeks on the Anacostia not far from the Navy Yard. It was hard work getting a large team to work perfectly in sync, but some of our practices runs proved very successful yesterday against other teams. Aside from the 20 rowers, each dragon boat will carry a traditional chinese drummer who will help the rowers keep pace. Boats will race in heats of 4 to 5 along 250 and 500 meter courses between the Kennedy Center and Thompson Boat Center. The racing is expected to begin at 9am and end at approximately 5pm.

From our efforts yesterday, the Mayor's team seems ready to win. Despite the clearly filthy water, Martin was able to capture some of the great views of the Baseball Stadium and navy yard vessels from the Anacostia with his ever present camera. (Next time I'll carry my camera so I can get some pics of him also.) The race course next week should be much better all around. More pics here.

7th Annual Washington DC Dragon Boat Festival
8am-7pm, Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18
Thompson's Boat Center, Goergetown Waterfront, 2900 Virginia Ave NW
DCDragonBoat.com

On Friday, I accompanied Scott Montgomery's principal, her staff and two bus loads of excited third and fourth graders to the Warner Theatre for a special student matinee of Septime Webre's Cinderella set to a score by Sergei Prokofiev. From their applause and cheers of "bravo!," brava!" and "bravi!" the students seemed to be thrilled by the performance, the graceful and acrobatic dance, slapstick comedy, costumes and music. For most, it was their first time at the ballet and for some the first time at the theatre. In this production, when the prince went out to search for the rightful owner of the glass slipper, he not only searched his in his own realm but he explored the world represented by citizens of various cultures garbed in native costumes. It was great to help some of these Shaw students appreciate the benefits of living in a culturally diverse world class city.

Opened Friday, May 9 - Closes Sunday, June 15
Capital Plaza I — 1200 First St NE
(Corner of First & M streets NE - NY Ave Metro)
Wed-Thu: 5pm-10pm; Fri-Sat: noon-2am; Sun: noon-10pm; closed Mon-Tue
Free admission; donations welcome

With 10 floors of art, music, fire jugglers and dancers, fantastic views of the City, and more on display, Artomatic had a spectacular grand opening last night nearby at NoMa's Capitol Plaza. Artomatic features workshops for children, film, poetry, theatre, live music and a dazzling collection of sculptures, paintings, photography, and multimedia works.

There was an unfortunate problem with the electricity early in the evening. Apparently, one artist was a bit over zealous in her attempt to illuminate an exhibit with more wattage than the building could accommodate. A few of the 10 floors of artist displays were affected, but the problem was eventually corrected which gave much relief to the artists, like Neal Isenstein, whose neon creations were on display on floor 6.

I'm told that Jeffrey Wilson's dramatic landscapes are made even more powerful by depicting the subtle and not so subtle effect of of wind and tornados. Chris Monette Appleton has some great portraits of pets and people on display. But there is really something for everyone to enjoy and appreciate. So, you should check out the calendar and plan a few visits to take everything in.

5-8pm, May 10
Opening Reception
Show Dates May 10-June 7
Long View Gallery
1302 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
202.232.4788 | longviewgallery.com

Be sure to catch “Under the Skin" which opens this weekend and showcases the largest exhibit of work by Scott G. Brooks' to date. The exhibit will contain new paintings and drawings with meticulous detail that illustrate quirky human scenarious with a variety of social, sexual and psychological themes.

The premiere of a short film exploring Brooks' creative process as he prepared for Under the Skin will be shown during the opening reception. This is the most recent film in Brandon Bloch's series showcasing Washington DC artists.

There are a lot of reasons that one-third of the District's young people don't bother to show up for school. Many students are struck by strange maladies that occur just before school. In reality, though, many of these students aren’t sick. They just don't think it's important to show up. They don't appreciate the time and energy that parents, teachers and residents expend to create quality schools or the wasted tax dollars. They would rather sit in front of the idiot box or stand out on the street corners than attend school.

There's not much that can be done for many of these students. It's difficult to engage them once they become distracted. The one thing adults and leaders can do is simple: They can set a good example. They can show up for their jobs, family events, and community events. Young people learn by watching the adults around them.

With that in mind, it’s hard to excuse School Chancellor Michelle Rhee for missing Wednesday's Family Reading Night at Scott Montgomery Elementary. Rhee was the featured speaker at the event and hundreds of residents jammed the auditorium to hear her speak. Unfortunately, thirty minutes before she was scheduled to speak, and as parents were still streaming in if from a long queue outside, Rhee sent word that she would not attend.

Montgomery school officials had rescheduled this event three times to accommodate the chancellor’s schedule. A CBS Evening News crew arrived at 4:50 with five people as part of an ongoing story they are working on about the chancellor. They spent a lot of time setting up and interviewing staff. They were told at 6:10 that Rhee would not be coming and immediately packed up and left.

Rhee’s absence said more than any of the elegant speeches she has given about raising educational standards. Many Shaw residents will now remember Rhee as the “one who didn’t show up.”

Scott Montgomery faculty and staff worked hard to make Family Reading Night a great success and to make a good impression on the chancellor. They secured thousands of books for students to select from and keep. They prepared hundreds of educational games for the students to play in the school library with their parents and take home. Community partners pitched in, too. Several small business owners donated food for the event. And residents responded. Hundreds of them attended the event eager to meet the school chancellor.

Of course, they went home disappointed. At least, they were disappointed in the chancellor.

I hope that Rhee has the good sense to apologize. An official apology to parents, teachers and students is in order. She might also consider personally meeting the two third graders who had planned to introduce her. The youngsters worked hard on their speeches, only to be forced to rewrite them on the fly. Luckily, these two kids were more than up to the task. Rhee should take some time out of her schedule to show some appreciation for their BRILLIANCE and apologize personally. These two SMES students are perfect examples of the fantastic work that teachers at Scott Montgomery are doing every day. The also reflect the time and energy of concerned SMES parents who value a good education and do their part to help their children achieve. They are also popular role models, well respected by their classmates.

The success of tonight's event made it clear to everyone that Rhee's presence wasn't really needed. That may be the silver lining. It’s not necessarily a bad thing when residents realize that they can accomplish great things without the interest, attendance or support of powerful people.

People work together because they believe in what they are doing despite the fact that Shaw has been so neglected and underserved by the District government and now an absentee school Chancellor. They do it because they can at least believe in our kids if they can't believe in the vacuous words of neglectful, dismissive government officials.

Martin Moulton
Friend of Scott Montgomery Elementary

P.S. Incidentally, I overheard someone mention that Rhee bumped some of the Washington Wizards off the Family Reading Night program. I bet if the Wizards had been scheduled they would have shown up. And I imagine, if offered the choice next time, the kids and parents won't think twice about who they'd prefer to spend the evening with.

Not only is the color of students' school uniforms green, but Scott Montgomery Elementary is a part of a "green" initiative by serving as a location to drop off used printer cartridges and cell phones for recycling and to keep these items out of landfills. By helping the community in this way, SME earns books and cash to fund student book groups from the FundingFactory recycling program.

Community and business supporters can also drop off cartridges and cell phones at the school office or the school library. To learn more about supporting Scott Montgomery Elementary School, please contact Mrs Evangelista, the school librarian and media specialist, at (202) 673-7245.

According to WTOP news, Third District Captain Melvin Gresham has been relieved of his badge and gun and put on "non-contact status" while during an investigation into his actions after a collision with his police vehicle and a Metro bus. Although Gresham is still receiving a salary, the results of the department's investigation could lead to him being fired.

“Gresham told a subordinate officer, who responded to the accident, to change a police report to indicate the Metro bus driver was at fault.”
— WTOP news.com

As noted on LifeInMVS and reported on NBC4, Reba Pittman Walker has resigned as the head of the Washington Convention Center Authority (WCCA) for personal reasons. Her resignation is effective May 30. The WCCA Board was satisfied with Ms Pittman Walker. But the board expressed continued interest in bringing "more retail, conventions and businesses, including banquets, to the facility.”

MVSNA President Cary Silverman notes:

Unfortunately, the Convention Center was designed purely with conventioneers in mind and not as a potentially significant contributor to revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood's commercial corridor. ... The promise of a hotel that small businesses banked on is coming no earlier than 2011. With some notable exceptions, most of the property surrounding the center that was vacant when the convention center opened remains vacant and the new businesses struggle because the center is designed in a way that takes conventioneers in and lets them out onto Mass/NY Avenue/downtown instead of drawing them up into the neighborhood's retail center.

I hope that the new leadership will aggressively expand and promote the retail in and around the convention center, and take a proactive role issues impacting the entire neighborhood.

Developments at The Walter E Washington Convention Center can have a significant impact on the revitilization of Shaw, Mt Vernon Sq and other local neighborhoods. I attended the most recent WCCA meeting in March and I look forward to attending future meetings as a community representative to express local concerns and offer input on economic development and other issues.